The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of apple tree botanically classified as Malus Mill. and known by the varietal name ‘UEB 3264/2’, also known as ‘Opal’ in the Czech Republic. The new variety was discovered in the fall of 1999 in The Czech Republic. The new variety is the result of a planned breeding program between unpatented female parent ‘Golden Delicious’ and unpatented male parent ‘Topaz’. The purpose of the breeding program was to find a new cultivar with high disease resistance, high yield, and excellent fruit quality. The new variety exhibits similar fruit taste, fruit shape and yellow ground color of fruits to ‘Golden Delicious’, but exhibits a shorter fruit stem, a broader eye basin of the fruit, the presence of Vf-resistance against scab, and longer fruit storage capacity. The new variety exhibits similar Vf-resistance against scab and russeting in the fruit stem cavity to ‘Topaz’. The new variety differs from ‘Topaz’ in the following ways. The fruit shape of the new variety is globose to globose-conical whereas ‘Topaz’ is flat globose. The fruit overcolor of the new variety is absent or present as a slight orange blush whereas in ‘Topaz’ the overcolor is orange-red to dark red as stripes and is present on 75% of the fruit surface. In the new variety, the greasiness of the fruit skin after storage is absent or very weak, whereas in ‘Topaz’ it is present. The new variety also has a sweet fruit taste whereas ‘Topaz’ is rather tart.
The following characteristics distinguish the new variety from other Malus Mill. varieties:                Late, dessert-type, diploid variety        Trees are of medium vigor with an upright to spreading habit        Fruit shape is globose, sligtly conical (less conical than ‘Golden Delicious’        Stalk is medium long and medium thick        Russeting is present in the stem cavity        Ground color of the fruit skin is yellow        Overcolor is either absent or a slight orange blush        Fruit flesh is firm, juicy; with a sweet aromatic flavor        Keeping quality of the fruits is very good        Vf-resistance against scab is present        
The new variety has been trial and field tested and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and remain true to type through successive propagations. The new variety has not been publicly available or offered for sale anywhere in the world before the filing date of the present application. The new variety is the subject of Plant Breeders' Rights Application Number 1309/MAL08139, filed Nov. 13, 2001, in The Czech Republic.